Do not intervene to speed up birth unless real risks involved, advises WHO

Women in labour are increasingly being subjected to unnecessary and unwelcome interventions such as caesarean sections, warns WHO

‘I knew I was in labour’ – why are women being turned away from hospital during childbirth?

As a number of women recount how they were mistakenly told to go home and wait, before giving birth on the pavement or in a lift, experts warn that more investment in early-labour care is needed

Mary had a baby. So did I. Neither of us needed wise men

The nativity tale always dominates the season – but for far too many women even today, there’s still no room at the inn, says freelance journalist Nell Frizzell

Until hospitals learn from their mistakes, babies like my son will continue to die

Jeremy Hunt’s new reforms are the best hope yet of ensuring health professionals are open and honest when things go wrong, writes campaigner James Titcombe

Rapid use of blood drug could save thousands of lives, study finds

Analysis shows chance of death from blood loss is 70% less likely if cheap, widely used tranexamic acid is administered promptly

My wife refuses to have sex following the traumatic birth of our second child

I try to be understanding, but after 18 months of her refusing to even talk about sex, I’m feeling downhearted

MPs to debate use of controversial vaginal mesh implants

Parliament will discuss risks associated with implants after women report debilitating complications, including perforated organs and chronic pain

Michel Odent: ‘How long can humanity survive now?’

Michel Odent has moved from being the benign natural-birth pioneer to a doomsayer predicting that caesarean sections will increase autism spectrum disorders and change humanity on an evolutionary level

‘A third of people get major surgery to be born’: why are C-sections routine in the US?

Caesareans have transformed from life-saving intervention into risky procedure performed for one in three births – and often geography is the deciding factor

Caesarean section late in labour increases risk of preterm birth next time

Women who have a late emergency surgery should be monitored as high risk for subsequent pregnancy, researchers say